The Civil War: With the anonymous Alexandrian, African, and Spanish Wars (Oxford World's Classics) | 
 enlarge | Author: Julius Caesar
Creator: John Carter
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Category: Book
List Price: $11.95
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Avg. Customer Rating:  10 reviews
Sales Rank: 119366
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 432
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5 x 0.9
ISBN: 0192839233
Dewey Decimal Number: 937.05
EAN: 9780192839237
ASIN: 0192839233
Publication Date: February 11, 1999
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Product Description
The Civil War is Caesar's masterly account of the celebrated war between himself and his great rival Pompey, from the crossing of the Rubicon in January 49 B.C. to Pompey's death and the start of the Alexandrian War in the autumn of the following year. His unfinished account of the continuing struggle with Pompey's heirs and followers is completed by the three anonymous accounts of the Alexandrian, African, and Spanish Wars, which bring the story down to within a year of Caesar's assassination in March 44 B.C. This generously annotated edition places the war in context and enables the reader to grasp it both in detail and as a whole.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 5 more reviews...
 Prestige has always been of prime importance to me April 5, 2008
As Jane F. Garner states in her excellent introduction, Caesar understood that one could not break the Roman Senate's de facto power in the Roman republic by using the sovereign power of the people. `One needed to secure military command, and with it, wealth, patronage and, not least important, armed power.'
This book is in fact the story of the battles for the consolidation of one sole armed power in the Roman republic under one general, which would, indeed, yield sole power (dictator for life) for him.
Of course, it reflects only the author's point of view. Julius Caesar's hagiographic autoportrait is one of a magnanimous, not vindictive or rancourous, but integer, just and generous general and politician.
But his chronicle gives also an in depth picture of the war scene in Caesar's time, not only of long and short term tactics, but also of the (in)human side of it.
The battles were in the first place a fight for water, corn and fodder, before a frontal confrontation could be engaged. The preparations therefore were more a matter of civil engineering than anything else: walls of up to 17 miles, ramparts, dams, river crossings, roadblocks, ditches and fences, towers and ballistic missiles. Animals like elephants, and even scorpions were used.
The wars resulted in `farm-houses being burned down, fields devastated, flocks plundered and killed, towns and forts razed and abandoned, and the leading citizens slain or kept in chains while their children were carried off and enslaved.'
Vae victis: `Soldiers won over by personal prestige of the general, persuaded by money and promises of gain, captured but, as their lives had been spared, they had been anxious to demonstrate their gratitude. These were the men whose bodies, remarkable for size and comeliness, now lay hacked and limp all over the plain.'
The book shows also Caesar's psychological insight: `for we believe what we wish were so, and hope that others feel as we do', `rumour goes beyond the facts' or `friends become enemies in adversity'.
Truly stunning is the end of the story: After securing sole military command, Caesar returned to Rome and was murdered six months later.
With its tens of thousands of deaths, this book doesn't sketch a very positive picture of mankind.
A must read for all historians and lovers of classical texts.
 Second Book in the Oxford Series I've Read July 24, 2007
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
I enjoyed the book on the Gallic War and equally enjoyed this book on the Civil War. The method of indicating and referencing notes was easy to work with. Additonally, both books have an excellent amount of introductory material.
Excellent Pre-Christian view of untainted world January 10, 2007
I bought this book as a replacement (lost the original plus many more to Hurricane Katrina). Any fan of the pre-christian world or anyone who would like a work that was written over 2000 years ago by one of history's greatest men, this book is for you!
The Civil War (Penguin Classics) (Paperback) March 13, 2006
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
It was exactly what I wanted. A good translation of the book.
 One for the scholars March 31, 2002
16 out of 21 found this review helpful
As a direct source this book is valuable and needed. To the casual reader of history (like myself) it is a bit of a drag. The book has highlights but the authors are writing it to their contemporaries. It is difficult for the modern reader to grasp exactly what is happening. I think a book with maps and further explanations as to motivations and battle tactics (to a layman like me) would have been of greater interest. One thing I can say, however, is that you get a first hand look at what Caesar must have been like. The book clearly shows his side in the most favorable light (not surprising) but not as much as one would think.
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